(a) Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a method for preparing titanium by using electrowinning and, more particularly, to a method for preparing titanium by melting a solid electrolyte and titanium dioxide in an electrowinning apparatus comprising an anode and an insoluble cathode, and then applying voltage.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Titanium is one of the ten most abundant matters existing on Earth, is lightweight and resistant to corrosion and temperature, and is a material having strength similar to that of carbon steel and several properties of the like. 40% of titanium produced in the world is used in the aerospace industry and the rest is widely used in pipes and containers, turbine parts for offshore wind turbines, implants, surgical parts and automotive frames. However, it is difficult and costly to refine TiO2-based titanium minerals, so currently, it is not more widely used than iron.
As a technique for preparing such titanium, there is the Kroll process, and specifically, TiCl4 is reduced to liquid Mg at about 773 to 873° C. to prepare sponge titanium, and then distilled by vacuum distillation to remove MgCl2 which is a byproduct, and a titanium center part is collected, to produce titanium. However, the Kroll process requires at least several steps of reduction, vacuum, separation, crushing and dissolution, and it has a downside of being costly.
As a related art, a titanium crystal and titanium is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2001-0020431 (published on Mar. 15, 2001).